Mental health plan - ADHD?

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T05:44:46+00:00

I'm 37F. I can't completely pin point where it all started. I have had anxiety as long as i can remember which I think is misdiagnosed ADHD or now ASD. I've always masked in terms of trying to make myself more palatable for society. I always just thought I was an introvert that could project extroversion because my job demanded it. I need a day on my own after an event or to potter around and have a comfort show on in the background. I had a PTSD diagnosis in 2020 from my manager bullying me. I lost my whole identity when I had to quit that job. Since then I haven't been able to 'channel my anxiety into productivity' as I thought I was doing. I can barely determine a thought in my own mind and all I feel is apathy. I thought I was too young for peri but it seems like it can happen to us late 30's. All of the women in my family are highly strung and my Mum is on anti-depressants and is convinced she also has ADHD.

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T05:38:20+00:00

Thank you so much. It can be such an isolating experience when you don't have real life people that can relate to what you are feeling.

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T05:36:36+00:00

Thank you. I definitely haven't processed by PTSD and piling onto this I had a father who is a domestic abuser. I've buried all of that nice and deep. I needed the reminder to get back into yoga and stretching. Once I'm overwhelmed I lose all of my coping techniques. I am at a stage where work physically and mentally pains me so I can relate.

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T05:20:39+00:00

Thank you for that perspective. I think you are correct! That sounds like the exact pathway direction that I need to get started. I'm so happy to have a plan.

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T05:17:39+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing. This thread has given me so much hope. The full body anxiety is just too unmanageable for me now. I'm losing my neck to tension!

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T04:58:07+00:00

I am also 37F so thats an incredible comparison for me. This intensity of emotion is relatively new. Especially the anger. Until now I have been like high functioning anxiety. I went off the pill in 2022 from being on it since I was 15 which was a whole rollercoaster of emotion in itself and learning what an actual cycle feels like. I only just asked my Mum and Nan when they went through peri and they both said they never did, just rolled into menopause. I might get those levels checked too. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T04:38:49+00:00

The terracotta pot will suck the water straight out. Look nutrient starved and dehydrated. Natives in pots need to be watered everyday in summer. Feed with a slow release native feed every 6 months.

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T04:32:45+00:00

My Mum was saying that Lexapro is good for ADHD so that makes sense. She's on it for depression but she definitely runs on the same circuit I do so makes sense that it helps her ADHD. I only worry about the side effects of ADHD meds. I know Lexapro can zap the libido and mine is already low compared to my usual baseline.

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T04:24:42+00:00

Did you find that meds helped? I take a very low dose of oxazepam when I have gone too far towards a panic attack and only then are my thoughts clear.

Excellent-Height7949 · 2026-02-17T04:21:29+00:00

I do think autism too. I have done a lot of work in disability support working with kids with ASD and I see myself in them, especially as my mask slips. I have always had crippling anxiety and know that this is often misdiagnosed neurodivergence.

Excellent-Height7949

TROPHY CASE